Indianapolis Colts defensive end Margus Hunt (92) chases New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) in the first half of their game at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018.(Photo: Matt Kryger/IndyStar)

INDIANAPOLIS — Lucas Oil Stadium may be known in these parts as The House That Peyton Built, but Eli Manning has owned the building for much of the last two games he has played here.

But this is how things work now with Manning this season, even in what was his best performance of the season during which he threw for a touchdown and ran for another in Sunday's 28-27 loss to the Colts, becoming the oldest Giants player with a rushing score since Y.A.Tittle in 1964.

Those who believe Manning should return as the Giants' quarterback for the final year of his existing contract point to all that he did well against the Colts.

There was the 55-yard strike to Sterling Shepard on which Manning sidestepped the rush before firing what was perhaps his most impressive pass since the aerial to Mario Manningham that left the Patriots wondering how the heck he pulled it off.

Throws to Evan Engram and a 26-yard dart to Bennie Fowler were among his 25 completions to nine different receivers, including reserve tight end Scott Simonson, who caught a 3-yard score in the first quarter.

All of that is why supporters of Manning keep on banging that drum.

There is also the fodder for the critics of Manning who believe he can't win consistently and his game in key moments isn't the same as it was when he hoisted the Vince Lombardi trophy here seven seasons ago.

They'll point to his interception with 23 seconds left in which Manning, in pushing the ball down the field into coverage, prevented any chance at giving Pro Bowl kicker Aldrick Rosas a shot at winning the game with a field goal.

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The middle ground is where the Giants must find themselves with their Week 17 finale against the Cowboys at MetLife looming next Sunday at 1 p.m. Giants coach Pat Shurmur said Monday that Manning will start the regular season finale.

The evaluation of how much Manning has left, how much money he will make next year and where the Giants could go at quarterback if he isn't the one to lead them is not a game-by-game proposition. All of it matters - the good, the bad, the past and the present - when determining Manning's future.

“Nobody wants to be in a position where you’re not in the playoffs,” Manning said. “You get questioned about how you’re going to play, but there was a lot of heart, defense getting stops, offense moving the ball, scoring two touchdowns the first two drives. A lot of character in this group of guys, and guys competing. Missing a lot of guys [with injuries], but the [other] guys stepped up and made some plays.”

The challenge of rebuilding and replenishing the roster is more difficult if Manning stays at his cap number of $23.2 million for next season. We can debate his effectiveness and efficiency, and will continue to do so moving forward.

Only a fool could watch Sunday's game and see vindication for Manning, just as that same fool will use any one game from earlier this season as reason to move on.

There needs to be some nuance used here, because it's not as cut and dried as some would like to make it out to be. The bottom line: there is young talent on this team, and the growing pains are significant enough to believe that whatever decision is made on the soon-to-be 38-year-old, two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback will loom over roster and performance, for better or worse.

Evan Engram's emergence

This shall be remembered as the game Evan Engram shut everyone up about trading him this offseason. Well, at least it should.

“He was very productive for us," Giants coach Pat Shurmur said of Engram, who caught six passes for 87 yards with two runs for 26 yards. “He has really come on here in the latter part of the season. Very explosive guy ... He is back healthy and he is having an impact on the game.”

Engram has been outstanding in successive weeks, and his day against the Colts started prior to kickoff. With defensive captain Alec Ogletree (concussion) and Odell Beckham Jr. (quad) back home in New Jersey, the Giants needed someone to step up in the vocal leadership department, and that required having a presence in the pregame huddle.

Enter Engram.

“I’ve always been a vocal guy and I just kind of had something on my mind today," Engram said. “We have other leaders who could have done the same thing. I was just in the moment and tried to get the guys going. We had some key guys down today on all phases of the ball, and it was a big day for some guys to step up as leaders, as playmakers, as teammates. I just wanted to get guys fired up and let them know that we have a job to do."

Tough sledding for Saquon Barkley

Defenses have set their priority to take Saquon Barkley over the past two weeks.

He had very little room to run against the Colts, the No. 7 rush defense in the NFL. Barkley carried 35 times for 74 yards in losses to the Titans and the Colts..

Barkley has 1,198 rushing yards this season, third-most in the NFL. The Rams rested Todd Gurley due to a balky knee, and he's at 1,251 yards. Ezekiel Elliott leads the NFL with 1,434 after gaining 85 in Dallas’ division-clinching victory Sunday.

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Elliott might not play against the Giants, and if he does not, Barkley would need 236 rushing yards to match him.

Barkley also needs 114 yards against Dallas to become the third rookie in NFL history to gain 2,000 yards from scrimmage, and he would join Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson and Edgerrin James.

What's the deal with Kyle Lauletta?

Kyle Lauletta might get another chance to prove he can learn and grow from his forgettable professional debut before this season is over, but time is running out.

The Giants have decided to leave Lauletta inactive again against the Colts, despite having been eliminated from playoff contention last week. This was the second consecutive game in which Alex Tanney and not Lauletta served as the backup to Eli Manning. Lauletta threw five passes and did not complete any in the fourth quarter of the Giants' 40-16 victory over the Redskins in Week 14.

The Giants are not going back to Lauletta for a start over Manning against the Cowboys, and if they did, that would have prevented a potential farewell game if the latter and the team don't come to an agreement for next season. Something else to consider, though: if the Giants did go to Lauletta (or Tanney, for that matter), that would be the strongest indication yet, at least from where I sit, that Manning is returning.

I truly do not believe the Giants would not give their fan base a chance to celebrate Manning, which will happen at MetLife Stadium whether any inkling of the team's plans regarding his status moving forward are revealed publicly.

Defensive improvements

It's pretty clear that the Giants need an upgrade in talent on defense. Landon Collins' absence is immense, which should bode well for his chances at getting a new contract from the Giants, or at the very least the franchise tag that would keep him here for another season.

There are some building blocks such as defensive linemen B.J. Hill and Dalvin Tomlinson, who has settled in at nose tackle, and outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter. Count defensive backs Grant Haley and Sean Chandler, with both rookies playing their way into the plans for 2019.

Defensive coordinator James Bettcher called a great game Sunday, but it became obvious when Andrew Luck got rolling that they didn't have the talent to stop him. The pass rush needs to be a priority, as does finding a free safety more consistent in all facets than Curtis Riley has been in that spot.